I got my CAT scan results today....

Nothing showed up that would explain the bleeding or diarrhea. So, the gastro's office will call me tomorrow to set up a colonoscopy.

Unfortunately, the scan did turn up a 2cm ovarian cyst on the left side, and a 4cm hemmorragic cyst on the right ovary that's caused some kind of sterile peritonitis. The gastro told me I need to follow up with the gyn. My call to their office to make an appointment went to voice mail, so I'm waiting to hear from them, too.
I wonder if the cysts could be causing my back pain? At some point, I'll be searching for info, but I just can't handle it right now.

I'm pretty down about all this- no answers to why I'm bleeding out of my ***, and now a new issue that needs to be dealt with in some way. And of course, the usual BS.
I'm very anxious about finding out what's going on, and then getting it taken care of... and paid for.

If it's not one thing, it's another. I'm a mess.

Kay
I would like to give you some thoughts on the cysts. I know from experience
that its best to get the cysts taken care of. I had one for about 2 years, before I had it removed. I also had my gallbladder removed at the same time.

It really helped a lot for my pain and my other symptoms to get rid of both things. I honestly can't even begin to tell you what all I got rid of.

Donna:grouphug:

Dear Kay,
This really stinks -- it almost seems like one thing piled on top of another,


You are doing a good job of keeping yourself focused. THe next step will be the colonoscopy and maybe some useful and helpful answers.


Oh dear. I looked these up.
Mdocs can deal with this but I understand feeling like this might be too much.

My guess is yes -- but I am not an expert.

Do you have a way to reach out for support? Maybe start with your therapist if you have one?

:grouphug: :heartthrob: :grouphug: :heartthrob: :grouphug:
Lots of hugs> :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:

M.

I am sorry kay...
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))) ))))))))))))
bizi

Dear Donna,

I did look up some info and guess that gyn's usually take the wait and see approach for most cysts, checking again in 1-3 months to see if they start to resolve or get bigger. I'm sure they'll do that with the left one, but not quite sure about the right one yet because it's bigger and more complicated.

I'm sorry your cyst caused you so much pain, etc. I had my gallbladder removed about 2 years ago, and was glad to be rid of that pain.
I have lots of abdominal discomfort, and sometimes pain. I'm not sure how much of that is from my GI issues though.
If these cysts don't resolve, I'm sure I'll be pushing to get rid of them.

Thank you for sharing your experience with me! I'm glad to see you back! :)

Kay

Dear Mari,

From what I read, it does seem like my back pain could be from the cysts. I do feel better after reading up. The smaller simpler cyst was less of an issue for me, but I was worried about the right one because it is fairly big and "hemmohrragic." It may not be a big deal though.

I still haven't heard back from the gyn's office yet. I guess you can see much more details of the cyst with CAT, compared to ultrasound. The gastro is going to send the results to my gyn. I'd really like to get that appt. out of the way just to relieve some anxiety.

I'm really turned off by the idea of making a therapy appointment. My regular tdoc is on medical leave, and I'm not thrilled by her replacement. I feel like I have to spend too much time giving her background to be a good use of my time and energy. I may make an appointment, just not sure yet.

My husband just wrings his hair at this point. His job has been really stressful and he's pretty much fed up with it at this point. And I have so many medical problems, and MH issues, I think it's just overwhelming.
My BF is very loving and supportive. She's my touchstone.

Thanks for the hugs, Mari!
Kay

My colonoscopy is April 13th. I guess I'll have more info then.

Thank you for the hugs.... right back at ya :hug:

Kay

maybe you can be a bit assertive as to what you want from a therapist.
maybe there is a certain area of your life that you think she/he can help you work thru or help you with coping skills or what ever, maybe you would like a sympathic ear, someone to validate your feelings...I don't know.
I have a tdoc(therapist) who I share my life with, sometimes it is about hubby and just venting other times she is like a life coach.
I am glad to hear that you have a best friend who listensand is supportive of you, that makes all of the difference in the world.
bizi

tdocs for support
 

Dear Kay,

When I was much younger (in my 20s) I used to bring a half page agenda to my therapist (CBT). I even listed the minutes alloted for each item. It was goofy but I helped the both of us focus. I also listed a summary of a very brief mood chart. I walked in with two printed copies -- one for each of us. (not all therapist slike this approach of course but it worked for us for a while)

The summary would be something like this:
LISTED MEDS --- and whether they had been adjusted by pdoc since last tdoc visit (even though the tdoc did not deal w/ meds, he needed to know if there had been a change.)
SLEEP -- how that was going since last tdoc session
MOODS -- main mood issue the past week
LIFE EVENTS AFFECTING CURRENT MOOD -- I would list if something major was going on like an upcoming trip, money worry, or anything else that might be important to the picture.

Some people bring in various versions of mood charts that are available electronically and can be printed out.


With my current tdoc, I still sometimes do things like this:
1. call her a head of time with a very brief phone message a few days before about what I really need to work on during that seesion
OR
2. read to her a brief handwritten list before at the start of the session of what we need to cover. Often, by the time I read the list of 4 or 5 things to her, my needs have already changed, so we might focus on 2 things instead of the whole 4. Sometimes, at the end of the session we even check the list as a way to summarize what she and I spoke about.

These are some ideas for how I let the tdoc know about my needs.


My suggestion is that you devote most of one session to telling her your goals in therapy -- keeping in mind that goals are allowed to morph / change as the therapeutic relationship and your issues evolve.

Therapists are usually pretty well trained in the whole "goal" thing. It helps to use their vocabulary.

For example, you probably benefit from discussions with medical professionals by using their nursing / medical terms. I think the same might work for therapy.
Here are some web sites that help a bit:
http://www.drranjanpatel.com/goals_therapy.html
and another:
http://www.suite101.com/content/sett...rocess-a112371
Achieving goals as a part of therapy should consist of:


It can take a while to get the tdoc on board. I felt like I spent months "training" my first therapist to help me. It was worth it because he did help me tremedously and I stayed with him for years.

My current tdoc "gets" me, but each year she has gotten more helpful to me.

A Social Worker friend of mine told me to choose older therapists with years of experience. Younger ones are not as good as older ones she told me. This is not necessariiy true in all cases but it gave me something to consider.


Sometimes our goal of therapy is supportive. Sometimes, therapists want to do more for us when what we really need is a supportive environment -- this is especially true for those of us with complicated cases. The therapist is not going to solve / fix anything at all, but she can improve the situation for us by being helpful a long the way.

I hope you get the idea about what I am trying to say here.
I can't look for links right now, but I think there is research that says that supportive therapy (no goals beyond support) can be very useful.


M.

the bleeding ovary sounds like it is causing you pain....
I hope you have a nice weekend.
bizi